TECHNICALWRITING

Technical writing is a form of technical communication. It is a style of writing used in fields as diverse as computer hardware and software, engineering, chemistry, the aerospace industry, robotics,finance,consumerelectronics,andbiotechnology. Technical writer writes communications done on the job, especially in fields with specialized vocabularies,suchasscience,engineering,technology,andthehealthsciences. The Society for Technical Communication (STC) defines technical writing as a broad field that includesanyformofcommunicationthatexhibitsoneormoreofthefollowingcharacteristics: (1) communicating about technical or specialized topics, such as computer applications, medicalprocedures,orenvironmentalregulations; (2) communicatingbyusingtechnology,suchaswebpages,helpfiles,orsocialmediasites; or (3) providing instructions about how to do something, regardless of how technical the task is, and regardless of whether technology is used to create or distribute that communication. "The goal of technical writing is to enable readers to use a technology or understand a process or concept. Because the subject matter is more important than the writer's voice, technical writing style uses an objective, not a subjective, tone. The writing style is direct and utilitarian, emphasizing exactness and clarity rather than elegance or allusiveness. A technical writer uses figurative language only when a figure of speech would facilitate understanding1." Technical writing is accomplished by technical writers, who may be professionals or amateurs. Such writers ideally begin by forming a clear understanding of the purpose of the document that they will create. Technical writers then typically gather information from existing documentation and from subject matter experts (SME). An SME is any expert on the topic that the writer is working on. Technical writers are often not SMEs themselves (unless they are writing about creating good technical documentation). Workers at many levels, and in many different fields, have a role in producing technical communications. A good technical writer needs strong language and teaching skills and must understand the many conventions of moderntechnicalcommunications. Advanced technical writers often move into specialized areas such as Advance Programming Interface writing for software programming, document architecture, or information management.

 Herearethemaincharacteristicsoftechnicalwriting2: Purpose: Getting something done within an organization (completing a project, persuadingacustomer,pleasingyourboss,etc.) Yourknowledgeoftopic:Usuallygreaterthanthatofthereader. Audience:Oftenseveralpeople,withdifferingtechnicalbackgrounds. Criteria for Evaluation: Clear and simple organization of ideas, in a format that meets theneedsofbusyreaders. Statistical and graphic support: Frequently used to explain existing conditions and to presentalternativecoursesofaction. Othercharacteristicsincludethefollowing: Source: Is there existing documentationa rough draft? Who is the subject matter expert(SME)? Deliverable: Is the deliverable simple text for inclusion in a book, or formatted to final form?Isthetargetapaper,awebpage,orsomethingelse? ThethreeC'sofgoodtechnicalwritingare: Clear Concise Complete Clear,concise,andcompletewritinghelpsthereadertograspthemeaningquickly. CommunicatingWithTheAudience Audience analysis is a key feature of all technical writing. Technical writing is a communication toconveyaparticularpieceofinformationtoaparticularaudienceforaparticularpurpose.Itis often an exposition about scientific subjects and technical subjects associated with finance, construction,medicine,agriculture,technology,andvarioussciences. Proceduraltechnicalwritingtranslatescomplextechnicalconceptsandinstructionsintoaseries of simple steps that enable users to perform a specific task in a specific way. To present appropriateinformation,writersmustunderstandtheaudienceandtheirgoals. Persuasive technical writing attempts to sell products or change behaviors by putting forth compelling descriptions of how a product or service can be used in one's life. This type of

writing often delves into features and benefits of the product or service, and may use illustrationstomakethebenefitseasierfortheaudiencetounderstand. TechnicalWritingIsPresentational Technicalwritinginvolvesattractivelayoutforeasyreadingandcomprehension.Presentational strategieshelpreaderstograspmessagesquickly. Thetopdownstrategy(tellthemwhatyouwillsay,thensayit) Headings(likeheadlinesinnewspapers) Chunks(shortparagraphs) Plain,objectivestylesothatreaderscaneasilygraspdetails. Itisalsoimportanttounderstandthemediumtypicallyusedtoviewthefinalproduct.AnHTML document (web page), viewed through a browser, has presentational possibilities that are differentfromthoseoftheprintedpage,notablyhyperlinksandanimation,whichcanenhance thereaders'experience. TypesOfTechnicalDocuments Technical writers use computers and other electronic communications equipment extensively in performing their work. They also work regularly with publishing software and various authoring environments to prepare material directly for the Internet. Technical writers frequently work with word processing, graphic design, page layout, and multimedia software. The nature of technical writing is evolving, and modern technical writers combine text, graphics,images,andsoundintotheirwork. Broadly speaking, technical documentation can be categorized into three types, depending on thestyleofwriting,thelevelofknowledgetransferred,andthetargetaudience: 1. Enduser assistance. These information products help a user understand how to use a technical software or hardware product. User manuals for computer software, hardware, household products, medical equipment, cell phones, smartphones, and otherconsumerelectronicsbelongtothiscategory. 2. Traditional technical documentation. Here the writer's objective is to communicate to a specific audience. Maintenance guides, appliance or application repair manuals, engineering specifications, research papers, reference works, annual reports. and articleswrittenfortechnicaljournals(tonameafewexamples)belonginthiscategory.

 3. Marketing communication. Product catalogs, brochures, advertisements, introductory pagesforwebsites,pressreleases,andadvertisingcopybelonginthiscategory. Technical writing is often associated with online help and user manuals. They also create product release notes, product troubleshooting guides, product user guides, tutorials (textual and multimedia), installation guides, API programmers' guides, marketing documentation, E learning modules, web content, legal disclaimers, policies and procedures, business proposals, and white papers, among others. Technical Drawing is also considered a form of technical communication. References: 1. GeraldJ.Alred,etal.,HandbookofTechnicalWriting.Bedford/St.Martin's,2006 2. WilliamSanbornPfeiffer,TechnicalWriting:APracticalApproach.PrenticeHall,2003 Source: www.wikipedia.comhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technical_writing About.comhttp://grammar.about.com/od/tz/g/technicalwritingterm.htm